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**Udog** · 09-11-2019, 08:12 AM

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Six more interesting pointspreads for this week’s college football:

— North Carolina @ Wake Forest (-3)

— Kansas State @ Mississippi State (-7.5)

— Maryland (-7) @ Temple

— Pittsburgh @ Penn State (-17)

— Eastern Michigan @ Illinois (-8)

— Akron @ Central Michigan (-3)

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings…….

13) ESPN football analyst Brian Griese is very good; Monday night he produced an old set of notes he had as a player, when his coach was Jon Gruden, back when he played for the Buccaneers in 2004-05, 08. Gruden would hand-write the notes and distribute them to players.

Griese said “…..I never felt more prepared as a player than when I played for Gruden” which is obviously high praise from a guy who spent 11 years playing QB in the NFL, and whose dad was also a really good QB in the NFL.

12) Virginia is -7 over Florida State in Charlottesville Saturday; since 1997, Seminoles are 11-2 SU vs Virginia, 8-5 vs spread— FSU was favored in all 13 games, eight times by 12+ points. 10 of their 11 wins over the Cavaliers were by 14+ points. Teams haven’t met since 2014.

11) Actor Matthew McConaughey is apparently the Texas Longhorns’ new Minister of Culture, which means that he is a prominent celebrity booster who helps pump people up when it comes to all things Texas Longhorn. People are impressed by celebrities.

From The Athletic: “McConaughey once thought he would be a college or pro athlete — he jokes he only gave up the dream about eight years ago — and he believes if he hadn’t found the acting thing, he might have become a coach. Now he has the chance to speak with, influence and encourage college kids.”

Four years ago McConaughey started teaching a course at Texas, Script to Screen, in which film students receive a script from a film he’s working on and follow through all of its edits and iterations until production. The Moody College of Communications named him a professor of practice last week.

10) Carolina RB Christian McCaffrey had 29 touches for 209 yards in the Panthers’ 30-27 loss to the Rams LW; great production if you have him in your fantasy league, but Carolina better find some other weapons, because 29 touches a week isn’t sustainable, especially in a week like this one, when the Panthers are playing on three days’ rest.

9) Sunday afternoon in Queens, the Phillies had Andrew Knapp at bat with two men on and the pitcher (reliever Mike Morin) due up next; the Mets walked Knapp intentionally to get to the pitcher’s spot, because they wanted Morin out of the game, either that or they didn’t think the Phillies would hit for him. This strategy had one glaring problem.

Bryce Harper wasn’t in the game yet, so they walked Knapp to pitch to pinch-hitter Harper, and strategy does not get much dumber than that; it is baseball malpractice. Harper walked to force in a run. Philly won the game 10-7.

8) Mets’ P Noah Syndergaard doesn’t want to throw to catcher Wilson Ramos; he pleaded his case to pitching strategist Jeremy Accardo, manager Mickey Callaway, and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, then got annoyed when word of the private conversation became public.

7) Mets’ bullpen has a 7.62 ERA in 80.1 IP in Jacob deGrom’s starts this season.

In totally unrelated news, Milwaukee star OF Christian Yelich fouled a ball off his knee Tuesday night and fractured his kneecap; he is done for this season.

6) Cleveland Browns had 19 snaps on 1st-and-10 Sunday; on 15 of those 19 plays, they were penalized and wound up with 1st or 2nd down and more than 10 yards to go. Not good.

5) Kentucky QB Terry Wilson is out for the season after hurting his left knee last week.

4) Jets signed K Sam Ficken and cut K Kaare Vedvik, who has been traded twice, cut once in the last six weeks. Vedvik missed a PAT and a field goal in Sunday’s 17-16 loss to Buffalo.

Jets also acquired WR DeMaryius Thomas from New England for a 6th round draft pick.

3) Houston Texans released veteran CB Aaron Colvin, just over a year into a 4-year, $34M contract; he gets $7.5M this year- that was guaranteed.

2) If you live in the Albany area and like pro wrestling, you will be interested to know that Ric Flair is doing an appearance at Colonie Center Sunday, at a hobby shop that is upstairs by the food court. They’re expecting a big crowd; get there early.

1) Patriots at Dolphins opened at New England -14.5, but as I type this, it is up to -18.5 or -19. Takes lot of onions to back a Dolphin squad that lost 59-10 last week, while New England was killing the Steelers, but Patriots have lost SU in five of their last six visits to south Florida.

CG Technology got a $55,000 bet Tuesday on the Patriots (-18) to cover; if that person read this site, he/she would know that over the last decade, Week 2 teams who won by 28+ points in Week 1 are 1-10 vs spread in their Week 2 game. We’ll see what happens.

**Udog** · 09-11-2019, 08:14 AM

Cheat Sheet - First Round

The first round of the WNBA playoffs begins on Wednesday, Sept. 11 with a a single-elimination format. The winners of these games will travel to either No. 3 Los Angeles or No. 4 Las Vegas for second round matchups on Sunday.

Those games will be single-elimination as well with the winners advancing to the semifinals against either No. 1 Washington or No. 2 Connecticut for a five-game series before the WNBA Finals, which is also a best-of-five matchup.

(Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under - O/U)

No. 8 Phoenix at No. 5 Chicago (ESPN2, 8:00 p.m. ET)

-- The Sky went 3-0 both SU and ATS versus the Mercury this season.

-- The pair met twice in Chicago and the home squad captured an 82-75 victory on June 10 and a 105-78 blowout win on Sept. 1.

-- The 'over' went 2-1 in the three encounters and the totals ranged from 165 ½ to 169 ½.

-- Phoenix enters the playoffs as the lowest seed and the worst record (15-19 SU, 17-16-1 ATS).

-- The Mercury closed the season with four consecutive losses and setbacks in six of their final eight games. In Sunday's finale, the club was outraced 98-89 to Las Vegas at home.

-- Phoenix went 6-11 away from home but it did manage to produce a 9-7-1 record versus the number.

-- Versus the Eastern Conference, the Mercury went 10-8 SU and 11-7 ATS. That includes a 4-5 SU and 6-3 ATS mark on the road.

-- The 'under' went 19-15 for the Mercury this season and that include a 7-10 mark on the road.

-- Since the WNBA created the first and second round elimination matchups in 2016, the Mercury have been involved each of the last three seasons.

-- Phoenix has gone 6-0 in those games, going 3-0 at home in the first round and 3-0 in the second round.

-- Unfortunately for the club, they’ve never captured a semifinal matchup after winning the elimination games. They dropped a 3-2 series to Seattle last season, which was an improvement after getting swept in the 2016 and 2017 semifinal matchups.

-- Chicago earned the third seed in the Eastern Conferenec with a 20-14 overall record but for our purposes, the club was the most profitable team (21-12-1 ATS) in the league.

-- At home, the Sky went 12-5 SU and 11-6 ATS.

The team went 9-9 SU and 11-8-1 ATS versus the Western Conference this season. At home, the Sky went 6-3 both SU and ATS at home.

-- Chicago closed the season with a 100-86 loss at Washington on Sunday. Prior to that setback, the Sky had won two straight and five of the last eight.

-- The offense has been on fire of late, averaging 107 points per game in the two recent wins and that pushed the averaged up to 84.6 PPG on the season, ranked second in the league.

-- Along with covering numbers, the Sky were also beasts for 'over' bettors. The high side went 22-10-2 but make a note that the 'under' was 8-7-2 at Wintrust Arena.

-- After watching the 'under' cash in five straight games for Chicago, the club saw the 'over' go 4-0 their final four matchups versus the West.

-- This will be the first trip to the playoffs for Chicago since 2016 when Los Angeles eliminated the Sky in four games (3-1). Chicago went 1-3 ATS in that series and the 'over' was 3-1 with the lone 'under' connecting in its only win versus the Sparks.

No. 7 Minnesota at No. 6 Seatlte (ESPN2, 10:00 p.m. ET)

-- The Storm went 3-1 both SU and ATS versus the Lynx in the regular season.

-- At home, Seattle went 2-0 by capturing an 84-77 win on June 4 and an 82-74 victory on Aug. 18.

-- The 'over' went 3-1 in those games and the totals ranged from 148 ½ to 152 ½.

-- Minnesota (18-16 SU, 18-15-1 ATS ended the regular season on Sunday with a 77-68 loss at Los Angeles. Prior to that defeat, the Lynx had won five in a row while covering four of those games.

-- On the road, the Lynx went 7-10 both SU and ATS.

-- The club went 3-1 both SU and ATS down the stretch away from home and that included Sunday's loss at Los Angeles.

-- Total bettors saw Minnesota post a stalemate (17-17) in its 34 games, with the 'under' go 9-8 on the road.

-- Minnesota played in its first playoff elimination game last season and the club dropped a 75-68 decision to Los Angeles as six-point underdogs.

-- Despite getting sent home early last year, the Lynx have won the WNBA Finals in each of the last four odd years (2017, 2015, 2013, 2011).

-- While that trend could have you leaning to Minnesota, the Storm are the defending WNBA champions.

-- Seattle went 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS in last year's postseason and that included a 5-0 record (2-3 ATS) at home.

-- At home this season, Seattle went 11- 6 SU and 9-7-1 ATS.

-- The Storm closed the regular season with a 3-1 record and that included a 78-64 road win over Dallas on Sunday.

-- Seattle produced the second best 'under' record (20-13-1) in the regular season but the 'over' closed the season with a 5-3 record.

**Udog** · 09-11-2019, 08:15 AM

WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, September 11

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PHOENIX (15 - 19) at CHICAGO (20 - 14) - 9/11/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 6-3 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-4 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MINNESOTA (18 - 16) at SEATTLE (18 - 16) - 9/11/2019, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 7-3 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 6-4 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Wednesday, September 11

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Trend Report
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Chicago Sky
Chicago is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games
Chicago is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games
Chicago is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games at home
Chicago is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Phoenix
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Phoenix is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Phoenix is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games on the road
Phoenix is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Phoenix is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing Chicago
Phoenix is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago

Seattle Storm
Seattle is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Seattle is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games at home
Seattle is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Seattle is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Seattle is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games when playing Minnesota
Seattle is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Minnesota is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
Minnesota is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games when playing Seattle
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
Minnesota is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing on the road against Seattle

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**Udog** · 09-11-2019, 01:05 PM

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, September 11

Phoenix @ Chicago

Game 601-602
September 11, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
104.054
Chicago
113.400
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 9 1/2
185
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
by 6
169
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(-6); Over

Minnesota @ Seattle

Game 603-604
September 11, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
102.777
Seattle
112.803
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 10
156
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 2 1/2
151
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(-2 1/2); Over

Announcement

Wednesday's WNBA Trends and Indexes - 9/11

Wednesday's WNBA Trends and Indexes - 9/11

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